NZ Curling

Manorburn won the 2009 Nicolson Trophy for the Idaburn Council at Alexandra last Thursday 2 July. Their win was by the narrowest of margins though when the four competing clubs all won two games each.

In a scenario very similar to a year earlier in Naseby, Sean Becker and sister Bridget skipped their defending champion teams to victory in Dunedin's 2009 NZ Curling Championships. In a remarkable Men's Final which saw the first three ends blanked, Sean's four shut out the Dan Mustapic team 8-0. As in 2008, Mustapic had earlier inflicted the only defeat on the Becker side in the preliminary round.

In another action replay of 2008, Bridget Becker completed another undefeated tournament when her team beat the Natalie Campbell squad 9-4 in the Women's Final.

New Zealand Curling Association president Darren Carson, who made the presentation last month, paid tribute to the length and quality of service Mr Becker had given to the sport.

The full Southland Times article is on-line here. 

Dunedin Curling's Edwin Harley has called time on his 17 successful years on the board of Dunedin Ice Sports. "It's time to give way to new blood on the committee," he told the Otago Daily Times last week.

Edwin also chaired the Organising Committee of the recently completed Dunedin 2009 World Senior Curling Championships, the first world curling event held in the southern hemisphere. Both the venue and the tournament were praised by curlers from around the world.

World Curling Federation president Les Harrison believes the world junior championships could be held at the Dunedin Ice Stadium. "The juniors [under-21] would be good for Dunedin because of its large student population," Harrison, of Canada, told the Otago Daily Times. He attended last week's world senior championships in Dunedin and was impressed by the facilities and ice conditions...

Read the full Otago Daily Times article.

Wednesday's meeting of Waitakere City's Infrastructure Works Committee agreed with the proposed changes to the Parrs Park Management Plan. This plan includes a new combined pool and curling complex at the Waterhole Swim Centre.

Auckland Curling is a partner in the Waitakere Aquatic and Ice Centre Charitable Trust, which plans to build the complex.

It was Canada's day at the finals of the World Senior's Curling Championship in Dunedin, New Zealand. The Men's and Women's gold medals both went to Canadian teams in the first world curling titles decided in the southern hemisphere.

Both winning teams also had the distinction of going through the tournament undefeated.

Favourites and defending champions Switzerland have beaten giant-killers Hungary 7-4 in the final of the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy. The win means that the Swiss pair Toni Müller and Irene Schori have never had a loss at a World Tournament, having also won last year's inaugural tournament without conceding a game. 

In the bronze medal game Canada came back after dropping singles on the first five ends to beat China 6-5.

The NZ Under-21 Men's team have secured the bronze medal at the 2009 Pacific Junior Curling Championships in Harbin, China.

The Kiwis forced their way into playoff contention by overwhelming Japan 14-3 in a tie-breaker match after both teams finished the double round robin with a 2 win / 4 loss record. The reward for NZ was a semi-final against Korea, but the late Kiwi charge ended there when they went down 4-8.